The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-04-07

piness will come back 10 them once
more. l shall be happy, too, some day,
perhaps, having preferred duty before
love"
But, oh, the struggle was a hard
one. 1t took several days to complete
her plans, during which she carefully
avoided her lover, and concealed her
intentions from all.
At last she found herself one day in
the presence Of her old governess, a
fugitive from friends and home
And in order that Clarence may
never ind me-" she said, when she had
concluded her story, Il have, resolved
TO assume another name"
1t was this that made his weary
search SO vain. When months had
passed, and still no clue Of her where
abouIs, he announced his intention Of
going abroad.
''Home Is hateful To me, he said, ID
answer to his mothers prayers. i
cannot endure the place wirhoul her.
10 not rsproach nIe, mother Rather
blame your own ambitious pride, which
has sundered two fond hearts and
spoiled two lives. l warned you how it
would end, remember; as / have lost
my little love, even so have You lost
ne
So he went; and though to the eyes
OF the world his mothers pride sus-
tanned her, Yet her heart was desolate
indeed.
So desolate that she thought for
time she had drained the cup of sor-
row to the dregs. Alas! she found that
she had but raised it to her lips. and
tastad the first flavor of the bitter
draught.
In the selfsame hour they carried
her husband to his stately home,
corpse, aud she heard--ay, even while
she knelt, stunned and horror-stricken.
by that death-bed-she heard, cried in
the streets, the news OF the utter loss
at sea Of the ship in which her only
child had sailed.
Il have killed him" she cried. Il
drove him to his death! Ny son! my
son! am your murderess!"
And she sank upon the floor beside
the bed, almost as white and cold as
the corpse upon it, so that it seemed to
those who raised her up likely enough
that she would be buried with it.
But it was not to he. Out of that
dreadful shipwreck of her life and
heart one little hope survived. The
bread that she had least upon the wa
ters" long ago came floating back to
her even after many days; and when at
last, weeks afterwards, she opened sad
but understanding eyes upon the weary
world again, May Wilmer was the
watcher by her pillow.
At sight of her the pent-up tears
burst forth.
'.He is dead" she walled. "Oh,
May, he is dead And they wept and
mourned together.
But Mays tears and grief were for
her foster-father only-the dead mer-
ing of that second bereavement which
had stricken the mother almost down
to death. She had never yet learned
the name of the ship in which her lover
sailed.
When she did learn it, the blow had
almost killed her, too. Mrs. Delorale
had put aside, in some degree, her
own anguish, in order to sustain and
console the stricken girl. Night and
day her agoniSed prayers went up to
Heaven:
Spare her. oh, Lord! She is all
that left me in the world. Oh, merci-
full Heaven, let me moi lose her too
And at last her PRAYER was granted.
May recovered.
They were comparatively poor. now.
For some time Mr.. Delorme's wealth
and seeming prosperity had been but
an empty show. With his death the
brilliant bubble had burst, and small
indeed was the remnant that was left.
4 pretty house in the suburbs be-
longsd to Mrs. Delorme in her own
! right. To it they removed, and May,
with the assistance OF her former gov
erness, obtained several pupils.
1t was touching to see these two wo-
men-Clarence's mother and his be-
trothed-cling to each other now,
each striving bravely to endure the
griefs of life for the others sake.
And, through it all, there was one
who, with word, could have changed
their sorrow into joy, and he would
not speak that word.
1t was but to say: II was with
Clarence on the day he sailed He did
not 60 i'll the vessel you suppose. Some
fancied clue to the Whereabouts Of
| May detained him, aud only q few
hours before he should have started he
sold his passage-ticket to a friend, and
himself waited for the next ship. He
is safe in Paris while you are mourn
ing here; and letter, telling you OF
his safety and fair prospects, arrived
but few days ago at the house You
have left, and lies now in the office,
waiting to be claimed"
But Richard Staines would not speak
these words of joy. He had intended
to do so ut frst-he had come to the
stricken mother with that purpose
but when he saw May-May whom he
had loved so long and hopelessly-and
realized that she believed her lover
lost to her. wild hope sprang up in
his heart.
believing Clarence dead, her hear
may turn to me. 1t never will if she
knows him to be living. Shall l de
stroy my own hope and chance? No
| no; | cannot"
Besides this, he argued: ''They hayt
endured the anguish of bereavement
now; the worst of the pain is over
The joy of learning that her son live.
will be the same to the mother when
ever it comes. and it shall come upoI
that blessed day when May becomes my
wife, 70
Poor Mrs. Del rme! Her happiness
would be long delayed, indeed, if she
waited for that day. But Heaven wa'
too merciful to permit it,
Clarence, knowing nothing of th'
changes at home, grieved at his moth
er's silence, but did not greatly wonder
at it.
'.She is so proud" he thought, sane
offended her by leaving"
So he continued to write for severa
months, although he got no answer
and then, becoming seriously uneasy
wrote to a mutual friend for explana
ton. 1t came:
Your letter came like messag,
from the dead 1t is believed here tina